Modern wireless networks provide communications capabilities to a variety of devices, such as cellular telephones, computers, smartphones, tablets, etc. A wireless network is typically distributed over land areas, which are called cells. Each such cell is served by at least one fixed-location transceiver, which is referred to as a cell site or a base station. Each cell can use a different set of frequencies than its neighbor cells in order to avoid interference and provide guaranteed bandwidth within each cell. When cells are joined together, they provide radio coverage over a wide geographic area, which enables a large number of mobile telephones, and/or other wireless devices or portable transceivers to communicate with each other and with fixed transceivers and telephones anywhere in the network.
The base stations are typically coupled to or otherwise include a radio equipment, such as an antenna that can receive and/or transmit wireless signals to wireless devices and/or to other base stations. The radio equipment is typically located above ground at a predetermined height and is positioned in a certain fashion to ensure adequate radio coverage as well as receipt/transmission of signals. Installation of such radio equipment in macro cells (providing radio coverage to large areas) can typically be performed without regard to a particular orientation.
However, in small cell deployment, proper orientation and positioning of the radio equipment can be very important to providing adequate radio coverage. Vendors of conventional systems typically provide its installers with location and orientation information of a desired boresight for an antenna as determined during planning of a wireless network, but the actual physical deployment may not be fully known to the installer. Further, location of a small cell and its antenna can be more arbitrary. The installer may know the desired location to a reasonable degree of accuracy (e.g., location of a pole on which radio equipment will be installed), but may not know wall position, height, angle, close-by alternatives, etc. for installation at the time of deployment. Further, the boresight angle may not be easily measured due to position of the installer. Additionally, use or accuracy of a standard compass bearing may not be as easily realized, compared to standing on a tower next to the large panel antenna. This can result in an incorrect location and/or orientation of the radio equipment, which can result in an unexpected coverage, interference, degradation of system performance, as well as other issues. Thus, there is a need for a system that can allow proper installation of the radio equipment.